Cobb County police arrested a Mableton man Saturday night and charged him with murder in the death his live-in girlfriend.

Thomas Schwartz, 46, was being held without bond at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on Sunday.

Police, responding to a 9-1-1 call that came in at 8:50 p.m. Saturday, found 45-year old Janice Oates dead of an apparent gunshot wound at a residence in the 900 block of Mable Street.

Detectives have not released a motive for the shooting.

Channel 2 Action News has reported that neighbors assumed the gunshot they heard was a firework left over from the Fourth of July.

The station reported that Lorinda Church heard a man yelling as he ran into a nearby Dairy Queen restaurant.

"Someone shot Janice," Church heard. "She's dead on the floor, shot to death."

Church identified the man as Schwartz. She told Channel 2 that she worked at the Dairy Queen with Oates for more than three years and that Oates and her boyfriend had a stormy relationship.

About the Author

Featured

Amber Hicks and Cherokee County firefighter Justin Hicks were found dead from gunshot wounds inside their home in November 2021. (Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services)

Credit: Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services